UPDATE: Juveniles Stuck On Ice

Two local children are lucky to be alive Tuesday evening.

The call for two juveniles stuck in the ice came about 3:40 Tuesday afternoon. It happened just past the Y-Bridge where the juveniles wandered about 20 feet out onto the thick frozen water. One slipped into a 5 foot deep crevice. Eric Waltemire Deputy Fire Chief of the Zanesville Fire Department told us about the rescue efforts.

"Upon arrival on the scene we had two juveniles, a police officer and a bystander on the ice keeping one kid out and up. His foot was stuck down in the ice. The other was sitting on the ice stuck there. We deployed ropes and rescue personnel and was able to get them all off the ice safely."

The whole operation only took about 5 minutes. Both children were estimated at about 14 years old and were transported to Genesis fr evaluation with the possibility of hypothermia. They are expected to be ok. The warmer temperatures this past weekend have worked to make the ice soft and crumble in spots. Waltemire urges you to stay far away during the thawing process.

"The problem with the river, you know, with the water always moving is a dynamic situation. When you get the ice build up on top of it like that, and then you get a day like this when its warmer, it starts melting. That river is so unstable now, that ice is so unstable. People need to stay off the ice."

Zanesville Fire and Police Departments, Genesis Community Ambulance and the City of Zanesville all responded to the scene.